Chicken boarders

[midori]

Gah!

 

I have just got home with a Cream Legbar and Lavender Arucana. I have a borrowed henhouse from a friend and had set that up with a 4ft high pen, made from my puppy pen panels. It doesn't have a roof, and I clipped one wing of each chook. Within 2 minutes the CL was on top of the pen sides!!!

 

So, I have temporarily put them in my own henhouse and covered run, but this means my own chooks are shut out for now. Ok short term, but obviously they may want to get in to lay and will need to get in at bedtime.

 

I don't really need the run attached to my henhouse as I don't use it at all, so I could use that for the newbies, but it will not fit against the borrowed house. Borrowed house is nowhere near big enough for my hens, so can't 'swap'.

 

Any ideas for some temporary housing for the newbies? The weather isn't great here, so it would need to be something decentish, (had wondered about a rabbit hutch if I can beg/borrow/steal or buy one) or I could bring them in at night in a dog crate, but would all the moving about day-night stress them out too much?

[migsy]

Could you get some chicken netting/wire from a DIY store or garden centre and use it to make a roof to your pen?

[poachedegg]

Whereabouts are you?

[midori]

Thankyou for answering. I am in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, we live about an hour from the nearest shops, so could get somewhere, but would prefer not to unless I have to.

 

A friend has lent me a large rabbit hutch and I have managed to make a roofed pen with the puppy panels. It's not exactly ideal, but the hens will be safe/warm/dry at night and have soem grass during the day, then in a week or so I'll try free ranging them.

 

The only problem I foresee is that the hole into the 'nesting box' might be too small for the hens to get through. I can pop them in there at night, but then if they need to lay during the day they wouldn't be able to get in. Would a cat carrier with some shavings/straw in be OK for laying? Or, I could make the hole bigger?

 

I'll post some pictures in a second.

[Redwing]

It sounds like you are sorted then - a towel draped over half of the rabbit hutch front will provide a shady area to lay in

[midori]

Thankyou so much everyone.

 

Would it be better to make the hole bigger or provide a cat carrier for laying?

 

This is the 'set up', does it look ok? Would prefer it a bit bigger, but it's only short term. Anything I could change? I've managed to put a sheet of onduline we had spare against one side to provide some shade, then my husband is going to get me some waterproof sheeting from work tomorrow so I can cover one side and part of the roof.

 

 

And the occupants:

 

[scarlettohara]

They are lovely - I think they will be fine and you've done really well

[midori]

Thankyou, they are so gorgeous, I am in love already.

 

They apparently can get into the nest box, as the CL is already in there. I am hoping she might be laying, so we can see her blue eggs, although sadly we won't be able to eat them for a while as the breeder was kind enough to do them with ivemectin for me before I took them.